Kel-Tec P-32
Kel-Tec P-32
| Kel-Tec P-32 | |
|---|---|
 Kel-Tec P-32, blued finish | |
| Type | Concealment Handgun |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Civilians and off-duty Police |
| Production history | |
| Designer | George Kellgren |
| Designed | 1999 |
| Manufacturer | Kel-Tec CNC Industries Inc. |
| Produced | 1999–present |
| Number built | Over 280,000 of First Generation through 2005 |
| Variants | First Generation 1999–2005; Second Generation started in 2005 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 6.6 oz (187 g) unloaded; 9.4 oz (266 g) fully loaded. |
| Length | 5.07 in (129 mm) |
| Barrel length | 2.68 in (68 mm) |
| Width | 0.75 in (19 mm) |
| Height | 3.50 in (89 mm) |
| Cartridge | .32 ACP |
| Action | locked-breech |
| Feed system | 7-round magazine |
| Sights | Fixed, iron (two variants) |
The Kel-Tec P-32 is a sub-compact semi-automatic pistol using the short-recoil principle of operation. Chambered in .32 ACP, it is popular for concealed carry in the United States. It was designed by George Kellgren, the Swedish firearms designer associated earlier with the Husqvarna, Intratec, and Grendel brands of firearms. It is manufactured by Kel-Tec CNC Industries Inc., of Cocoa, Florida. It is designed for concealed carry by civilians and by law enforcement officers as a back-up gun; all edges are rounded and smoothed and nothing protrudes from the gun to get caught on clothing.
A Lighter Load
Kel-Tec founder George Kellgren decided to use a locked-breech operating system to create the P32 micro pistol. The use of a locked breech instead of blowback operation accomplished several things. First, it kept the overall size and width of the P32 to an absolute minimum. Second, a polymer frame dropped the P32’s weight to half that of the Seecamp — 6.6 ounces to be exact. This also greatly reduced manufacturing costs. Third, the .32 ACP chambering made Kellgren’s first micro pistol easier to shoot than a .380 ACP.
I have been dealing with back pain for two years now. While not debilitating, the pain has caused me to lighten my police gun belt as much as possible. I gave up carrying my .38 Super 1911 in favor of the lighter SIG Sauer P320 M17. I also reconsidered the Smith and Wesson .38 Special M&P Bodyguard as my backup revolver. Weighing in at 14.4 ounces, the .38 Bodyguard is lightweight but still almost a pound when loaded. I considered my .380 ACP Bodyguard as a substitute but realized its 12.3-ounce weight was not enough reduction. I decided to evaluate the Kel-Tec P32 as the optimal weight- and space-saving option.
The P32 is the ultimate in operational simplicity. Because it utilizes an internal hammer block safety and long but lightweight 5-pound, double-action trigger pull, the P32 requires no trigger safety mechanism or a manual safety lever. There is also no slide/lock release lever. However, the P32’s slide does lock back on an empty magazine and is released by using a rearward “slingshot” pull on the slide. The result is a pistol that is about as snag-free as it gets. The .32 ACP chambering allows a seven-shot magazine capacity rather than the six-shot capacity of similar .380 ACP pistols. I purchased a spare magazine since my sample only shipped with one.
Keltec P32 Reliability
Reliability is where I had my biggest concerns with a pistol like this. While the accuracy and shootability were much better than expected, I had low expectations for a reason. Guns like this are not designed for target shooting, but rather getting shots on an attacker at what is usually contact distance. As such, reliability is really the more pressing concern when it comes to the practicality of small, cheap guns. That’s also where most cheap guns experience the most issues.
My P32 was about as reliable as I expected, if not a little more. I tried two different types of FMJ ammo – one box of Winchester White Box (71gr flat-pointed round nose) and two boxes of GECO (73gr round nose). I also tried out what would pass for a “defense load” in this cartridge – the Buffalo Bore 75gr hard cast +P flat point. As explained in my last article, .32 ACP doesn’t have enough power for hollow points to work correctly, so flat pointed bullets are the next best thing.
P32 Winchester White Box Results
With the Winchester White Box, I had one failure to feed early on in my shooting. I’m hesitant to say it was an issue with the gun, though I haven’t ruled it out, as it was so early in my shooting and did not occur again. It may have been that I didn’t seat the magazine all the way, or it may have been a very brief “break-in” period. I didn’t have any other reliability issues with the Winchester ammo after that.
P32 GECO Results
With the two boxes of GECO ammo, I had no problems whatsoever. This was a welcome finding, as this is the cheapest .32 ACP I could find anywhere. I bought it on sale for $8.48 per box, but it hovers around $10, on par with 9mm. The GECO ammo was not only reliable, but it also shot pretty clean and was just as accurate as the rest.
P32 Buffalo Bore Results
My greatest disappointment with reliability was with the Buffalo Bore ammunition. On my very first magazine with the stuff, I encountered the dreaded rim lock that .32 ACP can struggle with. The gun was completely locked up, and it is tricky to undo the rim lock. It was especially troubling because I was concerned with rim lock going in, and was sure to carefully seat the rounds in the magazine in an attempt to avoid it. I suspect that this is due to the shorter overall length of the flat point ammo, combined with the additional power of the +P loading.
The flat point bullet allows a little bit of empty space in the magazine forward of the bullet. I believe this, coupled with the increased recoil, might have allowed the rims to shift and lock up, or at least made it more likely. The GECO ammo, on the other hand, has a longer overall length, filling almost all of the length of the magazine. It would not be able to shift forward in the magazine very much, reducing the possibility of rim lock.
I can’t say for sure whether the issue with the Buffalo Bore was a fluke or not. It may have just been bad luck, and maybe my better results with the cheaper ammo could have just been good luck. But I’m not exactly compelled to buy hundreds of rounds of the expensive Buffalo Bore ammo to prove it one way or the other for the limited benefit the flat point +P has over the regular round nose. But then again, my only other malfunction was also with a Winchester flat nosed bullet, though it was not as severe as rim lock. So there may be something about flat pointed bullets that this gun doesn’t like.
Sticking with Round Nose Ammo
For the time being, if I carry this gun, I’ll just use the round nose ammo to make sure it at least goes bang after the first shot. Still, only trusting round nose ammo to run reliably does turn me off of carrying the gun in the first place, as the .32 needs all the help it can get in wounding.
Manufactured by Kel-Tec CNC Industries (founded 1991) in the city of Cocoa, Florida, USA, the P-32 has a barrel length of 2.68 inches (68 mm). [1] Trigger pulling weight is between five and six pounds (22 N to 27 N), and the pistol is hammer fired, with a long trigger pull. The trigger mechanism is not a true double action and the hammer must be pre-set to a half-cock position. Magazine capacity is seven .32 ACP cartridges in a standard, single-stack magazine, plus one in the chamber. Optional ten-round magazines are also available from the factory. The ten-round magazines also extend the grip.
The P-32 operates on Browning’s short-recoil principle. The barrel travels a short distance rearward while locked to the slide and the rear is then tilted down and unlocked from the slide through the action of a cam slot. The slide then continues rearward under inertia, extracting the spent case from the chamber and ejecting it. This design closely follows the Browning Hi-Power design. After the slide reaches the limit of its travel, the compressed recoil spring moves it forward again, stripping a new round from the magazine into the chamber. The cam slot and take-down pin move the chamber upward and the locking lugs on the barrel reengage those in the slide.
Kel-Tec P-32 with factory 10-round extended magazine.
An internal slide catch is activated by the magazine follower; when the last shot is fired, the magazine follower pushes up on the slide catch, locking the slide open. The slide remains open when the magazine is removed. After removing the empty magazine, a loaded magazine may be inserted into the pistol; pulling back and releasing the slide will feed the top cartridge in the magazine into the chamber. The pistol is then ready for additional firing. Alternately, after removing the empty magazine, pulling the slide back when the slide catch is activated will also allow the slide to close with the empty magazine removed; this enables closing the action and is used when the pistol is to be stored in an unloaded condition. The takedown pin, retained by a detent and spring, removes with a fired .32 ACP cartridge case. The gun disassembles like most standard semi-automatic pistols into slide, barrel, recoil rod/springs, frame, and retainer takedown pin. Re-assembly is likewise very easy.
Similar in concept to a revolver, the P-32 has no manual safety, relying instead on the long double-action trigger pull and an internal hammer block to provide safe operation. The pistol meets SAAMI guidelines, and will not fire if dropped. The P-32 has passed extensive SAAMI drop-testing at the H. P. White labs, as well as drop tests to military specifications. The trigger must physically be pulled for the gun to fire. Because of the lack of this manual safety, several American states prohibit the sale of this pistol.
The P-32 is made of the following materials: SAE 4140 ordnance steel for the barrel and slide; 7075-T6 aluminum for the internal frame which houses the firing mechanism (machined from a solid block of aluminum); and Dupont ST-8018 ultra-high-impact polymer for the checkered grip, frame, and trigger. [1] This polymer material can be molded in a wide range of colors, although a matte black (blued) slide combined with a black polymer frame is standard. Other slide finishes include Parkerizing and hard-chrome.
Redesign [ edit | edit source ]
Starting with the slightly larger P3AT pistol, Kel-Tec began redesigning their pistols for greater reliability and to streamline production. Changes in the P-32 were primarily limited to the extractor, sights, and incorporation of the recoil spring guide retainer into the design of the slide.
The extractor on first-generation pistols, when viewed from the side, was a straight metal bar, held in place by a pin and tensioned by a coil spring. Second-generation extractors use a triangular leaf spring bolted directly to the slide body.
Sights on the new pistol are different because of manufacturing changes. First-generation slides are milled from hex-bar 4140 steel while second-generation slides are milled from square-bar steel. The first-generation front sight is a triangular “peak” milled on the front top of the slide, and the rear sight is a large groove milled into the flat rib of the slide and marked with a vertical white bar. To aim, the user aligns the triangular front sight over the rear white bar.
The second-generation front sight is rectangular, and the rear sight is a half-moon shape that is machined into the rear of the slide, with a rectangular notch machined in the top of the rear sight. The user simply centers the front sight in the rear sight notch. With either type of sight, shooters with presbyopia (age-related difficulty focusing on small objects close to the eyes) may find a “point and shoot” aiming method faster than using the sights.
A Lighter Load
Kel-Tec founder George Kellgren decided to use a locked-breech operating system to create the P32 micro pistol. The use of a locked breech instead of blowback operation accomplished several things. First, it kept the overall size and width of the P32 to an absolute minimum. Second, a polymer frame dropped the P32’s weight to half that of the Seecamp — 6.6 ounces to be exact. This also greatly reduced manufacturing costs. Third, the .32 ACP chambering made Kellgren’s first micro pistol easier to shoot than a .380 ACP.
I have been dealing with back pain for two years now. While not debilitating, the pain has caused me to lighten my police gun belt as much as possible. I gave up carrying my .38 Super 1911 in favor of the lighter SIG Sauer P320 M17. I also reconsidered the Smith and Wesson .38 Special M&P Bodyguard as my backup revolver. Weighing in at 14.4 ounces, the .38 Bodyguard is lightweight but still almost a pound when loaded. I considered my .380 ACP Bodyguard as a substitute but realized its 12.3-ounce weight was not enough reduction. I decided to evaluate the Kel-Tec P32 as the optimal weight- and space-saving option.
The P32 is the ultimate in operational simplicity. Because it utilizes an internal hammer block safety and long but lightweight 5-pound, double-action trigger pull, the P32 requires no trigger safety mechanism or a manual safety lever. There is also no slide/lock release lever. However, the P32’s slide does lock back on an empty magazine and is released by using a rearward “slingshot” pull on the slide. The result is a pistol that is about as snag-free as it gets. The .32 ACP chambering allows a seven-shot magazine capacity rather than the six-shot capacity of similar .380 ACP pistols. I purchased a spare magazine since my sample only shipped with one.
Conclusion
On the whole, the Kel-Tec P32 exceeded my expectations, though my expectations were admittedly low. The gun was easy to shoot well and is very easy to carry. The only concerns I have are with reliability. But these are more problems with the .32 ACP cartridge than with the design of the gun.
Kel-Tec P32 Pricing
For the price I paid, it is hard to go wrong with this gun. Though recall from my previous article that price is the least important consideration for a carry gun. At least not if it is your primary. However, for the usual price the P32 sells for, I think anyone would be better off with something like an LCP or the Kel-Tec P3AT, which don’t cost much more, and which use the more effective (and reliable) .380 ACP.
.32 ACP for a Carry Gun
I don’t think the P32 is necessarily a suitable primary carry gun for a lot of the same reasons. The .32 ACP has its unique reliability and performance issues that I’ve previously discussed. And there are tons of choices similar to the P32 in .380 ACP which get around these problems. While the P32 is lighter than the similar .380s, it isn’t that much lighter. It isn’t like an LCP or P3AT is in any way difficult to carry.
P32 As a Backup Gun
The P32, if anything, is best suited as a backup gun. I’m less concerned with perfect reliability when it comes to a backup gun. You’re only relying on a backup when everything has already gone wrong with your primary gun. I do not carry a backup gun. I think it is probably better to just carry another magazine. But the P32 makes a pretty decent case for it. The gun literally weighs less than a spare magazine for my Shield and can fit practically anywhere. I hope this Kel-Tec P32 review helps in your buying decisions.
Manufactured by Kel-Tec CNC Industries (founded 1991) in the city of Cocoa, Florida, USA, the P-32 has a barrel length of 2.68 inches (68 mm). [1] Trigger pulling weight is between five and six pounds (22 N to 27 N), and the pistol is hammer fired, with a long trigger pull. The trigger mechanism is not a true double action and the hammer must be pre-set to a half-cock position. Magazine capacity is seven .32 ACP cartridges in a standard, single-stack magazine, plus one in the chamber. Optional ten-round magazines are also available from the factory. The ten-round magazines also extend the grip.
The P-32 operates on Browning’s short-recoil principle. The barrel travels a short distance rearward while locked to the slide and the rear is then tilted down and unlocked from the slide through the action of a cam slot. The slide then continues rearward under inertia, extracting the spent case from the chamber and ejecting it. This design closely follows the Browning Hi-Power design. After the slide reaches the limit of its travel, the compressed recoil spring moves it forward again, stripping a new round from the magazine into the chamber. The cam slot and take-down pin move the chamber upward and the locking lugs on the barrel reengage those in the slide.
Kel-Tec P-32 with factory 10-round extended magazine.
An internal slide catch is activated by the magazine follower; when the last shot is fired, the magazine follower pushes up on the slide catch, locking the slide open. The slide remains open when the magazine is removed. After removing the empty magazine, a loaded magazine may be inserted into the pistol; pulling back and releasing the slide will feed the top cartridge in the magazine into the chamber. The pistol is then ready for additional firing. Alternately, after removing the empty magazine, pulling the slide back when the slide catch is activated will also allow the slide to close with the empty magazine removed; this enables closing the action and is used when the pistol is to be stored in an unloaded condition. The takedown pin, retained by a detent and spring, removes with a fired .32 ACP cartridge case. The gun disassembles like most standard semi-automatic pistols into slide, barrel, recoil rod/springs, frame, and retainer takedown pin. Re-assembly is likewise very easy.
Similar in concept to a revolver, the P-32 has no manual safety, relying instead on the long double-action trigger pull and an internal hammer block to provide safe operation. The pistol meets SAAMI guidelines, and will not fire if dropped. The P-32 has passed extensive SAAMI drop-testing at the H. P. White labs, as well as drop tests to military specifications. The trigger must physically be pulled for the gun to fire. Because of the lack of this manual safety, several American states prohibit the sale of this pistol.
The P-32 is made of the following materials: SAE 4140 ordnance steel for the barrel and slide; 7075-T6 aluminum for the internal frame which houses the firing mechanism (machined from a solid block of aluminum); and Dupont ST-8018 ultra-high-impact polymer for the checkered grip, frame, and trigger. [1] This polymer material can be molded in a wide range of colors, although a matte black (blued) slide combined with a black polymer frame is standard. Other slide finishes include Parkerizing and hard-chrome.
Redesign [ edit | edit source ]
Starting with the slightly larger P3AT pistol, Kel-Tec began redesigning their pistols for greater reliability and to streamline production. Changes in the P-32 were primarily limited to the extractor, sights, and incorporation of the recoil spring guide retainer into the design of the slide.
The extractor on first-generation pistols, when viewed from the side, was a straight metal bar, held in place by a pin and tensioned by a coil spring. Second-generation extractors use a triangular leaf spring bolted directly to the slide body.
Sights on the new pistol are different because of manufacturing changes. First-generation slides are milled from hex-bar 4140 steel while second-generation slides are milled from square-bar steel. The first-generation front sight is a triangular “peak” milled on the front top of the slide, and the rear sight is a large groove milled into the flat rib of the slide and marked with a vertical white bar. To aim, the user aligns the triangular front sight over the rear white bar.
The second-generation front sight is rectangular, and the rear sight is a half-moon shape that is machined into the rear of the slide, with a rectangular notch machined in the top of the rear sight. The user simply centers the front sight in the rear sight notch. With either type of sight, shooters with presbyopia (age-related difficulty focusing on small objects close to the eyes) may find a “point and shoot” aiming method faster than using the sights.
A Lighter Load
Kel-Tec founder George Kellgren decided to use a locked-breech operating system to create the P32 micro pistol. The use of a locked breech instead of blowback operation accomplished several things. First, it kept the overall size and width of the P32 to an absolute minimum. Second, a polymer frame dropped the P32’s weight to half that of the Seecamp — 6.6 ounces to be exact. This also greatly reduced manufacturing costs. Third, the .32 ACP chambering made Kellgren’s first micro pistol easier to shoot than a .380 ACP.
I have been dealing with back pain for two years now. While not debilitating, the pain has caused me to lighten my police gun belt as much as possible. I gave up carrying my .38 Super 1911 in favor of the lighter SIG Sauer P320 M17. I also reconsidered the Smith and Wesson .38 Special M&P Bodyguard as my backup revolver. Weighing in at 14.4 ounces, the .38 Bodyguard is lightweight but still almost a pound when loaded. I considered my .380 ACP Bodyguard as a substitute but realized its 12.3-ounce weight was not enough reduction. I decided to evaluate the Kel-Tec P32 as the optimal weight- and space-saving option.
The P32 is the ultimate in operational simplicity. Because it utilizes an internal hammer block safety and long but lightweight 5-pound, double-action trigger pull, the P32 requires no trigger safety mechanism or a manual safety lever. There is also no slide/lock release lever. However, the P32’s slide does lock back on an empty magazine and is released by using a rearward “slingshot” pull on the slide. The result is a pistol that is about as snag-free as it gets. The .32 ACP chambering allows a seven-shot magazine capacity rather than the six-shot capacity of similar .380 ACP pistols. I purchased a spare magazine since my sample only shipped with one.
Manufactured by Kel-Tec CNC Industries (founded 1991) in the city of Cocoa, Florida, USA, the P-32 has a barrel length of 2.68 inches (68 mm). [1] Trigger pulling weight is between five and six pounds (22 N to 27 N), and the pistol is hammer fired, with a long trigger pull. The trigger mechanism is not a true double action and the hammer must be pre-set to a half-cock position. Magazine capacity is seven .32 ACP cartridges in a standard, single-stack magazine, plus one in the chamber. Optional ten-round magazines are also available from the factory. The ten-round magazines also extend the grip.
The P-32 operates on Browning’s short-recoil principle. The barrel travels a short distance rearward while locked to the slide and the rear is then tilted down and unlocked from the slide through the action of a cam slot. The slide then continues rearward under inertia, extracting the spent case from the chamber and ejecting it. This design closely follows the Browning Hi-Power design. After the slide reaches the limit of its travel, the compressed recoil spring moves it forward again, stripping a new round from the magazine into the chamber. The cam slot and take-down pin move the chamber upward and the locking lugs on the barrel reengage those in the slide.
Kel-Tec P-32 with factory 10-round extended magazine.
An internal slide catch is activated by the magazine follower; when the last shot is fired, the magazine follower pushes up on the slide catch, locking the slide open. The slide remains open when the magazine is removed. After removing the empty magazine, a loaded magazine may be inserted into the pistol; pulling back and releasing the slide will feed the top cartridge in the magazine into the chamber. The pistol is then ready for additional firing. Alternately, after removing the empty magazine, pulling the slide back when the slide catch is activated will also allow the slide to close with the empty magazine removed; this enables closing the action and is used when the pistol is to be stored in an unloaded condition. The takedown pin, retained by a detent and spring, removes with a fired .32 ACP cartridge case. The gun disassembles like most standard semi-automatic pistols into slide, barrel, recoil rod/springs, frame, and retainer takedown pin. Re-assembly is likewise very easy.
Similar in concept to a revolver, the P-32 has no manual safety, relying instead on the long double-action trigger pull and an internal hammer block to provide safe operation. The pistol meets SAAMI guidelines, and will not fire if dropped. The P-32 has passed extensive SAAMI drop-testing at the H. P. White labs, as well as drop tests to military specifications. The trigger must physically be pulled for the gun to fire. Because of the lack of this manual safety, several American states prohibit the sale of this pistol.
The P-32 is made of the following materials: SAE 4140 ordnance steel for the barrel and slide; 7075-T6 aluminum for the internal frame which houses the firing mechanism (machined from a solid block of aluminum); and Dupont ST-8018 ultra-high-impact polymer for the checkered grip, frame, and trigger. [1] This polymer material can be molded in a wide range of colors, although a matte black (blued) slide combined with a black polymer frame is standard. Other slide finishes include Parkerizing and hard-chrome.
Redesign [ edit | edit source ]
Starting with the slightly larger P3AT pistol, Kel-Tec began redesigning their pistols for greater reliability and to streamline production. Changes in the P-32 were primarily limited to the extractor, sights, and incorporation of the recoil spring guide retainer into the design of the slide.
The extractor on first-generation pistols, when viewed from the side, was a straight metal bar, held in place by a pin and tensioned by a coil spring. Second-generation extractors use a triangular leaf spring bolted directly to the slide body.
Sights on the new pistol are different because of manufacturing changes. First-generation slides are milled from hex-bar 4140 steel while second-generation slides are milled from square-bar steel. The first-generation front sight is a triangular “peak” milled on the front top of the slide, and the rear sight is a large groove milled into the flat rib of the slide and marked with a vertical white bar. To aim, the user aligns the triangular front sight over the rear white bar.
The second-generation front sight is rectangular, and the rear sight is a half-moon shape that is machined into the rear of the slide, with a rectangular notch machined in the top of the rear sight. The user simply centers the front sight in the rear sight notch. With either type of sight, shooters with presbyopia (age-related difficulty focusing on small objects close to the eyes) may find a “point and shoot” aiming method faster than using the sights.
